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3
Jan

1984 - Jesse Jackson secures release of Black pilot

On this date in 1984, Rev. Jesse Jackson successfully negotiated the release of U.S. Navy Lt. Robert Goodman, a pilot who had been shot down over... Continue →

3
Jan

1947 - NAACP report

On this date in 1947, the **NAACP's 1947 report** highlighted the extreme racial violence that African Americans, particularly returning Black... Continue →

5
Jan

1943 - William H. Hastie Resigns in Protest of Military Segregation

William H. Hastie, the first African American to serve as a civilian aide to the U.S. Secretary of War, resigned his position to protest the ongoing... Continue →

8
Jan

1922 - Death of Colonel Charles Young

Colonel Charles Young, the first African American to reach the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army, passed away on this day. A trailblazer and military... Continue →

8
Jan

1815 - Black Battalion Fights in Battle of New Orleans

The final major battle of the War of 1812 was fought between American forces, led by General Andrew Jackson, and the British Army. Among Jackson’s... Continue →

8
Jan

1811 - U.S. Troops Suppress the 1811 German Coast Slave Uprising

On this day, U.S. federal troops and local militias suppressed the 1811 German Coast Uprising in Louisiana, one of the largest slave revolts in U.S.... Continue →

11
Jan

1865 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee recommended the enlistment of Black soldiers.

With the Confederacy facing imminent defeat and suffering from severe troop shortages, General Robert E. Lee proposed the use of enslaved African... Continue →

13
Jan

2002 - Death of Charity Adams Earley

Charity Adams Earley, the first Black woman commissioned as an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and commander of the only... Continue →

13
Jan

1997 - WWII veteran Vernon Baker is awarded the Medal of Honor

On this day, Vernon Baker, a U.S. Army lieutenant and World War II veteran, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton. Baker was one... Continue →

15
Jan

1941 - Yancey Williams Challenges Segregation in Army Air Corps

Yancey Williams, a student at Howard University, filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding that the secretary of war and other U.S. government... Continue →

15
Jan

1865 - Black Troops Play Key Role in Fort Fisher Victory

A division of Black soldiers under the command of Major General Charles Paine participated in the successful Union assault on Fort Fisher, North... Continue →

16
Jan

1865 - General Sherman Issues Special Field Order No. 15

Union General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15, which set aside a strip of coastal land from Charleston, South Carolina, to the... Continue →

16
Jan

1776 - Continental Congress Approves Enlistment of Free Blacks

The Continental Congress officially approved General George Washington’s decision to allow the enlistment of free Black men into the Continental... Continue →

16
Jan

1941 - First Black Army Air Corps Squadron Announced

The U.S. War Department announced the formation of the first Army Air Corps squadron for Black cadets, marking a significant step toward racial... Continue →

16
Jan

1978 - NASA Names Black Astronauts

NASA announces the selection of three Black astronauts—Maj. Frederick D. Gregory, Maj. Guion S. Bluford, and Dr. Ronald McNair. This historic... Continue →

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